Joseph Saltis

Joseph "Polack Joe" Saltis (1894-1947) was a Hungarian-American gangster and bootlegger, who, along with Frank McErlane, founded the Saltis-McErlane Gang in Chicago, Illinois, creating a massive criminal empire. Despite acquiring a large fortune in the 1930s, he died a pauper in 1947.

Biography
Saltis was born in Austria-Hungary to a family of Slovaks, and later emigrated to Jolliet, Illinois, where he became a saloon owner. In 1920, with the Volstead Act being passed, he moved to Chicago to start a liquor business. Saltis became acquainted John O'Berta, who became his man in the government, as he was a candidate for the Illinois senate; this made Saltis a powerful man. Saltis was popular in his hometown, employing half of the people and failing to rename the town of Jolliet "Saltisville" by just one vote. He founded his own bootlegging empire in Chicago from that town, and was on good terms with Al Capone's gang, while he fought Ralph Sheldon and the O'Donnell Brothers gangs. Saltis became an ally of Hymie Weiss, who saved him from jail in 1926 following the murder of John Mitters Foley on August 6, with assistance from O'Berta, and Soltis continued his turf warfare. On October 26, 1927, a peace meeting was held between the Chicago Outfit, North Side Gang, and other smaller gangs, ending the turf wars. However, war broke out again soon after, and Saltis retired in 1930. Saltis retired to Winter, Wisconsin, where he died in 1947.